How You Can Build a Successful Business Online
So you had that fantastic business idea, the one that's going to
be wildly successful and make you a fortune - and even better,
you actually did something about it and started your own
business. Good for you! Not everyone gets even that far. Most
people sit and day dream about what they might do if only ....
"The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will
move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their
vision" - W. Clement Stone
But you got over the biggest hurdle, you took that first step
and you actually created something.
Well done - you already did more than most. But once you've got
started and you've maybe lost that first flush of enthusiasm
with the day to day details of running your business how do you
keep going?
There are several things to look at here:
1. What are you really good at and what do you enjoy doing? Make
two lists - one of all the jobs you like and/or are good at, and
one of all the jobs you hate and/or really don't do very well.
Take the second list and have a look at what you might outsource
or automate. Do you really love doing those accounts or would
your time be better spent in forward planning while your
accountant does the sums? Must you personally reply to every
last enquiry or could you create a FAQ which you can post on
your website and refer people to by autoresponder? Obviously in
the early stages of your business you might find you don't have
the money to pay someone to do the jobs you hate but you've got
to think about what is best for you and your business long term.
Be creative - could you swap skills to get the help you need?
The more routine jobs you can outsource or automate the more
time you have to plan and to market your business, and to think
about even more ways to bring in all that lovely cash - not to
mention you get to spend more of your time doing the things you
really enjoy doing.
2. Why are you doing this? You really need to be motivated to
start a business and keep it going and the best way to do this
is to know what all that effort is for. What really moves you to
get up in the morning and do what you need to do even when you
don't really feel like it? Write your reasons down and stick
them on your wall. Even better find pictures of that house in
the country, the Lamborghini or that 'must have' holiday and put
them where you can see them every day.
3. How do you deal with those inevitable bumps in the road? Not
everything you do will be perfect - sometimes things you've
tried will be a total disaster - but it's the way you react to
problems that matters. If you curl up in a ball and give up at
the first sign of failure you'd better not be in business.
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which
difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." - John Quincy
Adams. It's all about attitude.
4. Have a plan and stick to it as far as possible but always be
prepared to be flexible and open minded. Sometimes the most
unexpected opportunities come up and you need to be ready to
seize them with both hands - as Joe Vitale says 'Money likes
speed'.
5. Get yourself a mentor - learn from someone who has done it
before. Having someone to bounce ideas off and someone who can
encourage you when things get tough is invaluable.
Or, you can utilize an organization that will help you build a
business...not just a website. Such an organization is an
all-in-one web hosting system of tools that will guide you every
step of the way to build your business. It takes care of the
technology (the most handicapping aspect of doing business
online) and the difficulty of marketing your website.